Electromagnetic Rail Gun prototype

Right now scientist and engineers are working around the clock to develop a gun for the NAVY that can fire a projectile at nearly Mach 8. That’s right almost 8 times the speed of sound. Dahlgreen in Virginia is home to the navy’s 8 Mega Joule Electromagnetic Rail gun. By the end of 2007 the navy plans to start working with a prototype that is 4 times more powerful.

The high voltage is created by charging up a bank of capacitors. When the bank of capacitors discharge a surge of current creates a massive magnetic field. This accelerates the metal projectile to mind bending speeds. The navy’s goal is to develop a 64 Mega Joule Electromagnetic Rail Gun by 2016 that’s 8 times more powerful than this prototype. Reaching projectile speed up to 5000 miles per hour.